Where to start looking for a New/Used Motorhome

[proflemoi]

Hello All,

This is my first post and I am hoping to get some pointers on where my wife and I can go to look at New/Used Motorhomes. We are in our "Pre-Retirement planning years" and would like to spend some time RV'ing the great country and seeing the sites in the next few years. Our first step is to pick a new motorhome. We have been doing our research and have decided we are looking for the following:

(1) A Class A Gas Motorhome (Somewhere between 33 - 38 feet long)
(2) New or Used - price, value and options will play a role here
(3) Brands we like: Newmar, Tiffin, Fleetwood and Winnebago
(4) Price Range upto ~ $150,000

So the first question we have is where can we go to see these models (New and Used) We would like to walk a reputable dealer(s) lot and spend some time in these units and exploring all the options and floor plans and seeing what we might actually like. It would be great if we can see different brands at the same location but we understand that may not be possible.

Does your recommendation have a website we can visit?

We live in Connecticut and are certainly willing to drive or perhaps fly somewhere to check out the options. Any recommendations? Thank you in advance for your input!

[edgray]

The internet is your friend. Other than time, it costs you nothing to do research. Start with the manufacture’s websites to see what each offers and “starting prices” of NEW coaches.
Then search online listings sites like www.rvtrader.com or retailers such as Camping World, to see what is for sale.
For in-person shopping the Hershey PA show is coming soon, and the huge RV show is in Tampa in January. Plan to spend days, if you go there.

The sooner you can reduce the scope of your choices, the better. Not much point in looking for new luxury diesel pusher coaches, and even new gassers that can be purchased within your budget will be somewhat limited.
Happy Shopping- knowledge is necessary to avoid making expensive mistakes.
Lastly, consider renting a coach or two to make sure you enjoy the lifestyle / hobby and experience what it is like to travel this way.

[proflemoi]

Thank you for your input! I have been to the rvtrader website and have been looking at the various dealer pages. We are looking at nearly new RV's something with less than 10,000 miles and we are seeing lots of upgraded models in our price point. We are not looking for a diesel pusher, nor do we want a luxury model... we are more simple people who just want something nice and of quality but do not need to have the best of everything. We know what we like and have started making our must have, would be nice, and don't want list and will take the next few years to do our homework. We hope to visit the next RV show here in CT which usually happens near Hartford which is only 1 hour away... that should help us weed out the models we are not interested in.

We love camping and have spent lots of time in the woods (My wife and I are from Maine) so the lifestyle appeals to us. we won't be full timers as we have a lovely place in Maine on a lake we plan to spend most of the summer months at ... but there is a lot of this country to see and we want to spend our early retirement years exploring it

Thanks again for your input! MUCH appreciated.

Cheers,
Kevin

Originally Posted by edgray

The internet is your friend. Other than time, it costs you nothing to do research. Start with the manufacture’s websites to see what each offers and “starting prices” of NEW coaches.
Then search online listings sites like www.rvtrader.com or retailers such as Camping World, to see what is for sale.
For in-person shopping the Hershey PA show is coming soon, and the huge RV show is in Tampa in January. Plan to spend days, if you go there.

The sooner you can reduce the scope of your choices, the better. Not much point in looking for new luxury diesel pusher coaches, and even new gassers that can be purchased within your budget will be somewhat limited.
Happy Shopping- knowledge is necessary to avoid making expensive mistakes.
Lastly, consider renting a coach or two to make sure you enjoy the lifestyle / hobby and experience what it is like to travel this way.

[DamonCamper]

Originally Posted by proflemoi

Hello All,

This is my first post and I am hoping to get some pointers on where my wife and I can go to look at New/Used Motorhomes. We are in our "Pre-Retirement planning years" and would like to spend some time RV'ing the great country and seeing the sites in the next few years. Our first step is to pick a new motorhome. We have been doing our research and have decided we are looking for the following:

(1) A Class A Gas Motorhome (Somewhere between 33 - 38 feet long)
(2) New or Used - price, value and options will play a role here
(3) Brands we like: Newmar, Tiffin, Fleetwood and Winnebago
(4) Price Range upto ~ $150,000

So the first question we have is where can we go to see these models (New and Used) We would like to walk a reputable dealer(s) lot and spend some time in these units and exploring all the options and floor plans and seeing what we might actually like. It would be great if we can see different brands at the same location but we understand that may not be possible.

Does your recommendation have a website we can visit?

We live in Connecticut and are certainly willing to drive or perhaps fly somewhere to check out the options. Any recommendations? Thank you in advance for your input!

Look at PopRVs.com.

They are nation wide and you can select type, manufacture, year, milage of what you want. Anything you might want. Very easy to work with and very responsive.
Got mine thru them and am very pleased with their service and listings.

Good Luck!!

[Flyer15015]

Kev,
Why buy new, when for 1/2 your budget you can get a gently used coach,
5-10 years old and well sorted out.
Floor plan is far and away the first reason to buy a particular coach.
Next comes what am I going to do with it. Haul stuff, drive a lot, camp a lot.
Are you planning for a toad? makes a difference in size and fuel choices (gas / diesel).
Next, how handy are you? Gassers are a bit easier / cheaper to work on.
You know that you are buying a "house" on wheels, so all the systems in your house and your truck will need care.

Mike in Colorado

[NCC-1701A]

I'm going to disagree that floorplan is King and way above everything else.

My #1 is quality build. Visit the manufacturing facilities. They are NOT all the same! Study how they are built, insulated, support structure for warranty and out of warranty repairs, etc. Go to the Owners Forums here and read all you can. In the end these things will have more of an impact on your overall satisfaction years down the road.

Once you have narrowed that down, which you say you already have, then look at the floorplans offered by those manufacturers. Kind of surprised Entegra didn't make your list, especially since Fleetwood is on your list.

Looks like you are in CT....head to the Hershey show if you can! Good luck in your search and have fun.

[Isaac-1]

Why limit yourself to under 10,000 miles, you are primarily buying a house that just happens to have a truck under it. Now I can understand wanting to limit mileage to something on a late model newer coach, but 10,000 is just a bit on the low side, though the average motorhome only sees about 5,000 - 6,000 miles per year on average long term, 10,000 miles may be only on or two long trips.

[Crasher]

You asked for opinions, so here's one more and it won't cost a dime. Keep an open mind as to what you think you want. You mentioned (will take the next few years to do our homework). You will modify your "wants and needs" several times in that amount of time. That's a good thing. Most people do not buy their last coach first. We didn't. Our needs and wants changed with each of the seven motorhomes we have owned over the last 27 years. The largest expense of any new or nearly new coach is the depreciation in the first few years. That depreciation value lost alone, will in most cases exceed the total annual operating costs and depreciation of a 7-8 year old quality used one. As to quality of build, I would also put Fleetwood and Winnebago below Newmar, Tiffin, and Entegra.
The motorhome experience will cost you more than you expect with depreciation, license, insurance, maintenance, fuel, campgrounds and the unexpected. On the other hand, the experience for us has been "Priceless".

[Ray,IN]

IMO the first thing on your list should be floorplan, if one of you are not happy with the floorplan -it will never get better. Then search for that or very similar floorplan within the list of MH brands you desire.
For instance, if you want 1½ bath floorplan, (which is more desirable as we age)that is top of the list under the floorplan heading.
Just spitballing now,

For the chassis portion, consider tire size; some MH's have a peculiar tire size specific to one tire mfgr, and are thus quite more expensive. It's not a deal breaker, just something to note.

[proflemoi]

Thank you all for your input! ALL VERY MUCHG APPRECIATED. Nothing like talking to someone who has "been there done that". Our hope is to learn and adjust our thinking as we get closer to our purchase. We would like to choose a model that has a good track record on maintenance (yes I am a DIY'er) and is made with quality in mind... no need for luxury models just something we can live in and if possible making a choice to help mitigate any mistakes "Newbies" might make... We are starting the process of selling our business and so our "time table" will in large part be determined by that process

My wife and I were in Maine this week we have a place on the water and family there... and I was certainly taking notice of the Class A's on the road (It's a quick 380 miles to our place in Maine from our house in CT) so lots of time to look and see what people are driving. I noticed several but was surprised by how few I saw... perhaps fuel prices are causing people to stay put a bit more rather than move their rigs around...

We have certainly decided we want to flat tow at vehicle behind us with a small canoe on top... we noticed lots of Jeeps behind class A's ... and from what I have learned it is because Jeep is friendly towards RV'er who want to flat tow.

We certainly have a few floor plans in mind... we like the Fleetwood 35K layout... but I also like the layouts that have some type of desk option... not seeing too many of those so far in my research. I believe Tiffin offers a desk style option as part of their dinette... I am among many things, am an online investor so I will want to keep track of things online as a way to generate some income while we are traveling around... so that element will be of importance to us too.

Thank you for the mention of the "Entegra" line... I had not looked at those so I will certainly check that out!

Cheers,
Kevin

[bpu699]

Find a guy who has had his for over 10 years, and is looking to sell for a good reason (age, poor health, etc)...

Those tend to be taken care off...

[NXR]

Start here: https://www.largestrvshow.com/attend/show-hours/

The Hershey, PA RV show that starts next week. They bill it as the largest in the country. So yeah, your timing is impeccable with this question.

If you're in the Tampa area in January, the Tampa RV Supershow is another good one: https://www.frvta.org/show/florida-rv-supershow/

While you'll only see new units at those two, you will spend days at each one looking stuff over and learning.

Newmar is now owned by Winnebago and Tiffin is now owned by Thor.

Ray

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by proflemoi

Hello All,

This is my first post and I am hoping to get some pointers on where my wife and I can go to look at New/Used Motorhomes. We are in our "Pre-Retirement planning years" and would like to spend some time RV'ing the great country and seeing the sites in the next few years. Our first step is to pick a new motorhome. We have been doing our research and have decided we are looking for the following:

(1) A Class A Gas Motorhome (Somewhere between 33 - 38 feet long)
(2) New or Used - price, value and options will play a role here
(3) Brands we like: Newmar, Tiffin, Fleetwood and Winnebago
(4) Price Range upto ~ $150,000

So the first question we have is where can we go to see these models (New and Used) We would like to walk a reputable dealer(s) lot and spend some time in these units and exploring all the options and floor plans and seeing what we might actually like. It would be great if we can see different brands at the same location but we understand that may not be possible.

Does your recommendation have a website we can visit?

We live in Connecticut and are certainly willing to drive or perhaps fly somewhere to check out the options. Any recommendations? Thank you in advance for your input!

The large RV shows are the best, like the one in Tampa. If you just want to look and chat, there's a class A motorhome sales section on Facebook and where my DP Revolution is listed for sale.

[NXR]

When looking at a motorhome you're interested in, take a picture of the OCCC sticker that's usually on the door frame or behind the driver on the wall.

OCCC stands for Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity. That sticker is unique for each motorhome because that motorhome was weighed as it left the factory. Some have a lot of OCCC and some, not so much. OCCC is how much you can put inside in people, pets, stuff, and in the water tanks before you reach the vehicle's maximum weight rating, its GVWR.

Our 38' gas motorhome has an OCCC of 2,838 lbs but I've seen some on the same chassis from the same manufacturer as low as barely 1,800 lbs. I'd be leery of anything under 2,500 lbs myself. Yes, it all adds up quickly because right now you're probably thinking "No way would I ever put a ton in!" [emoji4]

Also note that gas motorhomes have a more limited towing capacity. The unrestricted towing capacity usually is between 4,000 lbs and 6,000 lbs. If you're looking at towing a truck or a Jeep you need to know what its Curb Weight is. That is the bare minimum that vehicle will weigh when being towed (no people inside). It's usually more due to options, sometimes several hundred pounds more.

All gas motorhomes for the past decade have been built on the Ford F-53 chassis. The attached pic may help. The yellow highlighted one is ours so we tow a Chevy Equinox that weighs about 3,500 lbs.

GCWR minus GVWR = the amount of weight you can always tow. Yes, "trailer" is anything you tow, even a car or truck. From what you've written I'm thinking you may need something built on the 24,000 lb GVWR/30,000 lb GCWR chassis to get a 6,000 lb towing capacity. If so, that will knock a lot of contenders out.

OCCC is not a factor in the (GCWR minus GVWR) calculation. The weight in that equation cannot be used to load anything in the motorhome, just for towing.

Ray